Sunday, 26 July 2015

Friday, 24 July 2015

Hans My Hedgehog, paper, clay, paint, map, nails, approx 30cm tall

From the Grimm story of the same title, about a boy born half-hedgehog who ends up taking down a kingdom, all while riding a rooster and herding pigs, as one does. The Singing Bones, my collection of 70 such knick-knacks, is due for release in late September (Australia).

Tuesday, 21 July 2015

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Trick or treat!, pencil A3

Another semi-collaboration. This drawing only really makes sense if you are a fan of Nathan Jurevicius' Scarygirl (books, toys, game, etc.) about an abandoned girl raised by an octopus. Here they are dressed up as each other for Halloween. This piece was for an exhibition in which many of Nathan's friends were invited to give their own take on his surrealist universe.

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Stroh, pencil & digital, 2 0x 20cm

This was for a trio of French muscians, La Fausse Compagnie, for an embossed postcard that you can actually play on record player. Their metal stringed instruments, using adjustable horns to direct sound in specific directions, are based on revived designs of 19th Century engineer John Matthias Augustus Stroh. We met in Melbourne last year, and the reason for that was an uncanny resemblance between the band's stroh instruments and an imaginary violin that appears in my book The Arrival. Anyway, they are a terrific group, the instruments sound great, and you can find out more about their work here: www.lafaussecompagnie.fr

Friday, 3 July 2015

Wednesday, 1 July 2015

Ward (detail), pastel on paper, A2

White on white, soft feathers can’t hide the
black needle tips.

I listen to what they are always telling me
and try not to look,

even as I stretch out my naked arm.

An extract from my contribution to an anthology The Hush Treasure Book, developed in conjunction with the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and featuring many different Australian authors and illustrators, due to be published in early August. My own poem "Ward" was inspired by a hospital visit during which one child was receiving chemotherapy, and I became very interested in the ways in which seriously ill children are able to manage their fear, and even to some extent the fear of their parents. I was also inspired by the fact that wards in the RCH are named after different animals, there is something quite ancient and resonant about this. For more info about Hush, click here.